The Best Time Management Apps for Small Business Owners

Tracking and managing employee time can be, well, time-consuming--and as a small business owner, you don't have any time to waste.But you can get that time back with the right time management solution. The apps below can streamline the time-tracking process--and not only that, many of them also make scheduling and invoicing a snap.TSheetsThis leading time-tracking app allows employees to clock in from their computers or mobile devices. TSheets even offers GPS tracking to ensure employees are at the correct locations (and is a great backup if they forget to clock in). For you as business owner (or for your payroll manager), TSheets offers multiple formats for documenting and viewing employee hours. It integrates with QuickBooks, ADP, Sage, and more for easy accounting and payroll. TSheets also tracks employee PTO and over time, creates shift schedules, generates payroll and project reports, and more.Plans start at $8 per month. Free 14-day trial.FreshBooksFreshBooks is a cloud-based invoicing and accounting program designed for freelancers juggling work for multiple clients. (It works well for teams, too.) Use the time tracking function--just start the timer, hit pause if you take a break, then log hours--or manually enter your hours into a timesheet. Easily invoice clients once or on a recurring schedule, bill for expenses, even see when a client has viewed the invoice. It integrates with Google, Stripe, Gusto, and many other programs you might already using. FreshBooks claims that switching to its app saves business owners an average of two days' worth of administrative task time a month.For iOS, Android, and desktop; free up to 25 clients. Free 30-day trial. TogglThis time tracking and billing app is simple and straightforward, designed to help everyone on your team stay on the same page regarding projects. Create and assign sub-projects, generate and export reports, and run time audits. Color code projects to see worked hours at a glance. Toggl will sync offline hours with those you've tracked online, too. Your team can even hold a friendly competition for employee of the week with the leaderboard function. For iOS, Android, and desktop; free for up to 5 team members, then plans start at $9 per month. FanurioAnother freelancer-oriented app that also works well for teams is Fanurio. Developed with the input of busy freelancers, Fanurio is a simple-to-use program for time tracking and invoicing. Again, it allows you to track hours with a timer or enter them manually, add your expenses, then generate an invoice for your client. Easily organize your tasks by category or by tag. Fanurio will also log miles traveled on business trips (for reimbursement or for tax deductions). Analyze and increase productivity with reports comparing time, expenses, and profit.

For desktop (Mac and Windows); $59 per year per license. Free 15-day trial.TimelyTimely takes a unique approach to time management. It integrates with your favorite calendar app (such as Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo) and auto-imports your scheduled events and tasks to give you an estimate of your hours. Just adjust the estimate to reflect your actual time worked, drag and drop to move events to different time blocks or dates, and you're good to go. Timely was originally created for individual freelance users, but can now be used for teams as well. See an individual employee's hours/schedule, or get the big picture with Company View. Daily totals and reports make it easy to see who's worked when and on which projects. Web and iOS mobile devices. Free for 1 user up to 5 projects; more extensive plans start at $14 per user per month. Free 30-day trial.MavenlinkCloud-based app Mavenlink tracks hours and expenses, of course, but this multi-tasker does a lot more, too. It simplifies project assignments by showing you which of your team members currently have the bandwidth to take on additional tasks. File sharing, storage, and organization features--plus communication tools--encourage seamless collaboration among your team members. Permissions settings control employee access to specific projects and documents, which helps keep sensitive information secure. Use the business insights tools to analyze (and improve) your profitability. Mavenlink easily Integrates with Google and Google Drive, QuickBooks, SalesForce, and more to streamline accounting and payroll tasks.Web-based; plans start at $19 per month for teams up to five members. 10-day free trial.Investing in a robust time management tool that's a great fit for your situation literally buys your business time. These are just a few of our favorites--which time management apps do you love?